Article forming machine



Sept. 30, 1941. B. K. FORD 2,257,458

ARTICLE FORMING MACHINE Filed Oct. 11, 1938 Q 4 FIG.

INVENTOR By B. K. FORD ATTORNEY Patented. Sept. 30, 1941 UNITED STATE PATENT OFFICE ARTICLE FQRMING MACHINE Ben K. Ford, Westfield, N. J assignor to Western ncorporated, New York, N. Y., a corporation 0 New York Application October 11, 1938, Serial No. 234,371

' (c1. ss 9) Electric Company,

7 Claims.

spaced positions about the needle carrier to pivotally support needle actuating levers 30 in positions in radial alignment with the needle slots in the needle carrier. The levers 30 are operatively connected to the needles, as indicated at 3|, and have their lower extensions controlled by associated cams 33 and 34 mounted upon the frame I0 to cause actuation of the needles in predetermined sequence. Guides 35, slotted to An object of the invention is to providea simreceive the lower extensions of the levers 3!], pie, efficient and practical machine for forming serve to prevent the levers from dragging. identifying coverings on articles. Threads 40 are fed to the needles from sup- With these and other Objects in view, th inplies (not shown) betweenfriction discs 4|, su'itvention comprises a knitting machine having a ably positioned upon a bracket 42, mounted upon winding unit driven in synchronism therewith'to one of a pai of p ghts 43. The threads 40 are apply a spiral winding of a strand about a conf rth r ir c ed to heir respe tive guides 44 and ductor while advancing and subsequently knitthrough the apertures in the lower ends thereof. ting a covering thereon. The thread guides 44 may be adjustably mount- Other objects and advantages will be found in ed in ape t es o a d sc 46 carried y a sleeve 41 the following detailed description when taken in through wh ch a core 48, such as an electrical conjunction t .t accompanying drawing, conductor, is advanced. The sleeve 41 extends wherein beneath the disc 46 a desired distance and this Fig. l is a front elevational view of the ma- P i of the Sleeve s pered to u de the core chine, portions thereof being shownin section, t a position adjacent the point where it enters and a central aperture of the needle carrier. The

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary view illustrating the ar- Sleeve 41 also extends p y through & ce ti l form d by th hi tral aperture in a cross bar 50 and a sleeve 5| The knitting machine disclosed is of a, genformed integral with the cross bar. The cross eral conventional structure, of which only suffibar 50 s supported y the upri hts 43 and excient is shown in the drawing to enable a clear tends outwardly at One d to f rm a j urnal understanding f th novelty embodying t 52 for a vertical shaft 53, the lower portion of vention. This machine is patterned after the Shaft being j n ll d in a ari p rtion one shown in my Patent No. 2,126,250 issued integral with e frame e shaft 5 is August 9, 1938. operatively connected tothe power means for A stationary frame lll'is mounted upon a s itdriving the knitting unit through belt wheels 56 abl support t shown) and i apertured and 5'1, which are operatively connected to each jacent its center with a tubular sleeve portion II other by means of a belt The t eel integral therewith and extending downwardly as s mounted p n the lower end of the shaft 53, shown in Fig 1, A ho l or t b shaft lzwhile the belt wheel 51 is mounted upon and rotatably disposed i th Sleeve H and has a 40 fixed to the hub of the bevelled gear l5.

flanged upper portion l3 which rests upon the upper surface of the housing. The lower end of the shaft I! has fixed thereto a bevelled gear I5 which interengages a similar gear l6 mounted upon a power shaft ll which is driven by any suitable power means (not shown).

A needle carrier 20, having longitudinally extending slots for receiving needles 2|, extends for a portion of its length downwardly into the shaft l2 and is secured thereto by a nut 23 disposed in threaded engagement with the upper end of the shaft and positioned to engage an annular projection 24 of the needle carrier.

A lever supporting bracket 28 fixed to the needie carrier has elements 29 disposed at selective A strand applying element 60 is rotatably mounted upon the sleeve 5| and has disposed thereon and fixed thereto a belt wheel 6|, which is operatively connected to the shaft 53 through a belt 62 and a belt wheel 63, the latter being mounted upon the shaft 53. The element 60 has outwardly extending diametrically opposed arms 65 with trunnions 66 extending vertically therefrom to rotatably support spools 61 of strand material 68. In the present embodiment only one strand is shown being wound about the core, this strand being guided by an apertured pin I0 carried by the element 60. also provided for the other spool, the strand of which may be brought into use when the strand A similar pin is ga covering is knitted on the core thus formed;

as the first spool runs out. Another purpose of providing the diametrically oppo ed spool supportingnarnis for the element is to balance the element during rotation.

,mnnr the operation of the machine the shaft illisfdriven by its power means at a desired speed,

, j causing rotation of the bevelled gear I 5. Through this rotation the knitting unit and the strand applying element are operated simultaneously at desired relative speeds, but in view of the fact that the strand68 is applied to the core prior to the forming of the knitted covering thereon operation of this portion of the machine will be considere first.

, The rotary drive taken from the bevelled gear i5 may be followed through the wheel 51, the belt .56, the wheel 56, the shaft 53, the wheel 63, the

belt 62, and the wheel 6|, to the element 60. As a result of this driving means the element 60 is rotated clockwise, looking from the bottom thereof, and as the core 48 is moved longitudinally ata. definite rate of speed by a suitable means (notshown) the strand 68 is wound spirally about the core, forming a spiral identifying rib about thecore.

As the core with the spiral winding of the strand 68 thereon advances to the knitting unit,

' In the knitting unit the needle carrier with the needle actuating'levers are rotated relative to the cams 33 and 34 and the thread guides 44. These moving portions are driven through the rotation of the shaft l2, which is connected to the bevelled gear l5 and is driven I 'by the power means through the bevelled gear 1 l6 and the power shaft 11.

j During actuation of the knitting unit, which is caused by rotation of the tubular shaft i2, the needle carrier 20 with its needles 2| and associated levers 30 are rotated relative to the cams '33 and 34. Rotation of the cams causes movementof the lever's, due to the contour of the lever engaging cam surfaces, to raise each needle to jreceive one of the threads at each thread positionand lower the needles intermediate these thread positions, to thusform the covering on the conductor with the spiral winding of the stran "i8 thereon.

c, The threads 40 are considerably smaller than "the strand 68 and the covering formed by the threads will conform ,to the contour of the structure it iscovering. This structure inthe pres exit instance is a core circular in' cross section and having spiral ribs formedthereon by the stifand 68. The completed article, therefore, as illiistrated'inl ig. 2, has spiral identifying ribs 15 disposed thereon in desired spaced formation so that they may be readily distinguished visually in a properly lighted place or may be readily distinguished by the sense of touch in a dark or poorly lighted place.

The embodiment of the invention herein disclosed is illustrative only and may be widely modified and departed from in many ways withoutdeparting' from the spirit and scope of the invention as pointed out in and limlte'donly by the appended claims.

What is claimed is: 1. In an article forming machine, means .to wind a strand on' an electrical conductor while advancing to form an identifying rib thereon, and

wind a strand on an electrical conductor while 4 advancing to form an identifying rib thereon, threads smaller in size than the strand, and means to knit a covering of the threads over the ribbed conductor and in conformity therewith.

4. In an article forming machine, means to knit a covering on an electrical conductor while advancing, and means to position a member between the covering and the conductor to cause the covering to project outwardly from the conductor to form an identifying portion.

5. In. an article forming machine, means to knit a covering on an electricalconductor while advancing, and means to position a member between the covering and the conductor to cause the covering to project outwardly from the conductor to for an identifying rib spirally positioned about t e conductor.

6;, In an article forming machine, a knitting unit toknit a covering on an electrical conductor while advancing, an element to wind a strand spirally about the conductor prior to the forming of the' covering thereon to cause formation of an identifying rib in the covering, and means to actuate the element and unit simultaneously and at different speeds.

7, In an article forming machine, means to form acovering on an electrical conductor while advancing, and means to wind a strand spirally, 

